The swing mooring method, i.e., a method by which the bow of the boat is tied to a buoy, is probably the method being least damaging for the boat. The boat direction follows the wind direction. This method presupposes the possibility of reaching the boat, e.g., in a small dinghy. In a heavy sea, this may involve a risk. Further, when approaching the buoy, it may be difficult sometimes to catch the buoy. This method requires much space, and the boats and buoys may at times obstruct maritime traffic.
A good method of mooring a boat is to moore the bow to a buoy and the stern to a landing structure, for example by means of cross-mooring. Different methods, more or less practicable, are used for hauling the boat to the landing structure, for approaching and mooring. This method provides greater safety in embarking and disembarking, compared with the first-mentioned method, but swells and high seas must all the same be taken into account. Lately,mooring booms have come into use which project in long rows from both sides of a landing structure. The booms are often mounted pivotally onto the landing structure, and their outer end is supported on a floating body. The booms and the boat will thereby follow the movement of the water. The mooring ropes at the outer ends of the booms are only short rope pieces and, consequently, render the mooring unelastic and jerky. It may, therefore, at heavy cross-wind happen that the booms break and the boats are damaged. Floating landing structures and mooring booms are a relatively heavy investment, and it is, therefore, important to position the boats as close to each other as possible. Boom mooring is, therefore, unsuitable for sailing boats and also for larger power boats. As the boats do not move simultaneously, but with differences in time of some tenth of a second, the masts of the boats may hook one into the other. A further factor restricting the use of mooring booms is that all boats at one landing structure ought to have about equal size so as to have the same windage.